That article was a mess, a mixture of untrustworthy old gossip and facile, reductive pop psychology. Yuck. Sondheim was right to be suspicious of Secrest.
Stephen Sondheim’s story is a compelling one, but even in my current fascination with all things about his career, I find myself not terribly interested in his personal life - even when it probably influenced his work more than he claimed.
It sounds like Seacrest is obsessed with the idea that SJS somehow BECAME gay as a response to his mother's unwelcome come-ons when he was a teen. The trashiest kind of mid-20th century Freudian crap. To which all I can say is -- oh, Please.
The article is dreadful, and makes me glad that there's a new biography on the way rather than an update by Secrest of her biography.
At least, I hope David Benedict's biography is on the way soon. It's been almost ten years since it was announced. I don't really know what to expect of the Benedict biography; I hope it's as close to definitive as it can be. My dream would be a Mark Harris bio, but I suppose that ship has sailed.